


I'll show you the snow

by culticmyexecution



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Angst, Drama, Established Relationship, Gentleness, M/M, POV Cecil (Welcome to Night Vale), Please Don't Hate Me, Please Don't Kill Me, this is so sad i am so done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 20:44:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6581455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/culticmyexecution/pseuds/culticmyexecution
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I was looking at the snow. Everyone must have been looking at the snow. Everyone besides him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll show you the snow

I put a lit candle on a table and approached a window to close the curtains. The wind twitched the branches of a lone and for a long time dried up acacia. I glared at the tree and smiled, trying to remember whether it had ever blossomed. Not finding any answer, I turned back.   
I moved slowly as if trying to slow everything down.

“You know, by the way, at first I did not want to come here at all,” Carlos smirked but suddenly had a long fit of husky and chesty cough, and hadn't been able to speak normally for a minute… At least it felt so.

“You sure you’re okay?”

He nodded as he finally stopped coughing and glared at me tiredly. His glasses were glossy because of the flame of the candle, and his eyes were even glossier because of tears.  
Carlos blinked and took off his glasses.

“There is nothing to be worried about in my situation. It doesn’t hurt, it’s just annoying.”

Seeing my worried look, he frowned, and then smiled, rather drowsily, but still.  “Really, Cecil. Does not hurt.”

“You’re wheezing,” I said, letting my voice be aggrieved. 

 The dark-skinned wrinkled hand had touched my hand, squeezing lightly but let go instantly, for Carlos coughed again. I sighed and lit another small candle to make it easier for Carlos to see in the dark room. Then I sat down.

 “I can fix it all, you know.”

“I do. Initially I wanted to ask you but eventually decided not to because it would be… It would be difficult for you to understand.”

“What exactly? The reason why you don’t want to?”

I bit my lip, feeling shame for my exacting and aggrieved voice. I was still such a child…

“Yes. A human can barely understand another human, even less can someone like you. No offence to you, of course. It all starts with our mortality. We live for about sixty years in average; and the first third is the age when we cannot do anything special yet; and the last third is the age when we cannot already do anything special. And the third that is left is not a long period, actually. Moreover, usually it is filled with routine, so in fact we are almost immobile.”

His voice went down and became a wheeze while he was uttering the end of the sentence.

I looked at the knob of his walking stick. It was truly a beautiful one, branch-shaped, with a snake winding round it. Where on Earth could Carlos find such a thing? It’s like he looked for a thing that I would inevitably like.

“Also,” Carlos cleared his throat and continued, “our ‘mobility’ – if it is available at all – does not spread beyond our own bodies and a couple square meters around.  ”

I nodded, both agreeing and asking him not to continue.

“But your words contradict your actions. You live so little and I can help you with that. And even with more stuff! I…”

“Just… I’m sorry for interrupting you. If we have little time, if we have even less possibilities, we value it, most of us. And I am afraid of losing this ability to value. And not only the ability, Cecil. I am afraid of eventually becoming annoying and being simply killed by you. Then what is the purpose of all that? You’ll be tired of my constant presence and I’ll be tired of yours and we’ll start to hate each other.”

My pitiful gaze made Carlos smile guiltily.

“It’s true. This happens all the time. I know I’m being selfish, I am sorry. For leaving you alone…”

He coughed again, bending over his knees, making me cheep weirdly and rise with a spring.

“Shall I bring anything? Maybe water? I’ll fetch some water…”

“No, don’t. Stay.”

Stretching up, to such extent that was even possible for him, Carlos reached out and touched my hand.

“It will be so hard for you, I know.”

 

“Don’t talk! It will only be worse. Carlos,” I was about to throw my hands up and to fold them as if in prayer, but Carlos shook his head.

“Please, stop. And don’t you dare erase my memory. Please, this will be so unfair. I know I influence almost nothing, but I’ll rely on you anyway. Let me…”

Not waiting for him to finish, I kneeled before him and put my hands on his jaw, my thumbs touching his cheekbones. Our noses touched, and Carlos smiled again.

“Please, don’t leave me,” I whispered before giving his forehead a light kiss. Squinting and holding back tears, I covered his hand with mine and bent slightly, resting my head in his warm lap.

Feeling his fingers brush my hair, I opened my tearful eyes slightly and stared at a candle flame.

“I didn't want to come here,” Carlos suddenly went on with his previously interrupted narration, apparently wanting to distract me. “I was talked into. Later I found my old notes. Almost know the first one by memory. Do you want to…?

I squeezed his hand and nuzzled to his thigh, nodding and wiping my tears off with his trousers’ fabric at the same time.

“About seven am I catched the radio signal. It was apparently the beginning of a transmission as the host, a guy with a nice voice, greeted the listeners, ‘Welcome to Night Vale.” He spoke about weird stuff and, frankly, told bollocks. The town has an old wooden askew sign without any data on population. Simply, ‘Welcome to Night Vale’. And an eye drawn upon that. After that, I thought the host went bananas. He said he had fallen in love with me. What a moron. His name’s Cecil, looks thirty-five, dark short hair, average body type, and he is always, always smiling. As if it could be called a smile. Have you ever seen snow?

It took me a few moments to realise he was asking me. 

“It never snows here.”

“I’d like,” he shuddered when the branch of the acacia kicked the window glass. “I’d like to see it. And I’d like you to see it also.”

Since starting his story he hadn’t stopped smiling, which I couldn’t see but heard in his voice. His fingers caressed my hair cautiously. I whimpered

“I’ll show you the snow.”

“Yes. We’ll go Northwest, to DC, it’s snowing heavily there now…”

I squeezed the tissue of his lab coat, starting to shiver. It suddenly was very quiet, the wind outside fell silent. Releasing the coat, I carefully took Carlos’ hand that had brushed my hair, and touched it with my lips, not ashamed of crying anymore.

“Do not cry…”

I looked up. Carlos was staring at me, his head tilted back, lying on a backrest, and his eyes shut.

“I’ll show you the snow, I will. I promise…”

My voice cracked, and I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to compress an outburst. Carlos smiled wider. Every day, every moment could be the last, and there was nothing I could do. Aside from…  
I freed Carlos’ hand, stood up and approached the window. I opened the curtain with one hand, the other still on my mouth, and turned around.   
Carlos’ gaze followed one flake, then another. I came closer and kneeled again, snuggling against his leg. Carlos put his hand on my head and caressed lightly.

“Look at that,” he whispered.

I turned my head. Large white fluffy flakes outside the window were falling slowly down to the ground. I freezed, staring as if hypnotised, even my shoulders stopped flinching. Abruptly, Carlos’ hand stopped, and I squinted so hard that there were sparkles in my eyes and noise in my ears.  
After endless moments, I opened my eyes and listened. There was no irregular breath anymore. My shoulders started trembling again, and I dared speak.

“Goodnight, Carlos the scientist.”

I was looking at the snow.  
Everyone in Night Vale was looking at the snow.  
Everyone besides one person.


End file.
